JP6275100B2 - rice cooker - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a rice cooker, and more particularly to a rice cooker that can prevent spilling.

  2. Description of the Related Art Rice cookers that heat a pot containing a heated object such as rice and cook the heated object are widely used. In conventional rice cookers, rice balls are blown out, and the user may be burned.

  On the other hand, the rice cooker described in patent document 1 is provided with a rice cake detection means and a control means for controlling the heating power. By weakening, the spillage of the rice ball is prevented.

  Moreover, the rice cooker described in patent document 2 is equipped with a main body, a pan, a heating part, and a lid provided with a steam discharge part communicating with the inside of the pot, and has an edge at the tip part near the steam discharge part. By providing the bubble suppression part that forms the bubble, the bubble is broken and the blowout of the bed is prevented.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-5130 JP 2005-168706 A

  The rice cooker described in Patent Document 1 can prevent rice spilling and cook rice safely by weakening the heating power based on the detection of the blow-up of the rice ball. However, since the rice cooker described in patent document 1 weakens a thermal power at the timing when a rice ball spills, it is spoiled by lack of thermal power.

  The rice cooker described in Patent Document 2 is provided with a bubble suppression part having an edge formed at the tip part in the vicinity of the steam discharge part. It can be destroyed and spilled outside the body. However, in the rice cooker described in Patent Document 2, the ease of maintenance is impaired by providing a bubble suppression unit that forms an edge at the tip. Moreover, since the rice cooker described in patent document 2 complicates a part shape, production cost will also increase.

  Then, this invention is made | formed in view of such a point, and it aims at enabling it to continue the heating by a strong thermal power, suppressing the blowing of a to-be-heated material, without impairing care property. .

The rice cooker which concerns on 1 aspect of this invention heats the to-be-heated material put into the pan which has the opening for putting a to-be-heated object, the rice cooker main body which detachably accommodates the said pan, and the said pan. A heating unit and a lid attached to the rice cooker body so as to be openable and closable, wherein the lid is a first surface for closing the opening and a first surface located on the opposite side of the first surface. An inner lid having two surfaces, the inner lid being a through hole penetrating from the first surface to the second surface, and steam generated when the object to be heated is heated by the heating unit. A vapor hole that passes from the first surface to the second surface, wherein the vapor hole has an area surrounded by an edge of the vapor hole on the second surface, the vapor on the first surface. It is formed to be larger than the area surrounded by the edge of the hole, and bubbles generated from the heated object pass through it. When that, characterized in that it is formed in a shape to rupture the bubbles.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, the shape of the vapor hole provided in the inner lid of the lid body is a shape that breaks bubbles when the bubbles of the object to be heated pass through the vapor hole. Spilling of the object to be heated can be suppressed without being damaged, and heating with a strong heating power can be continued.

It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram which shows an example of a structure of the rice cooker which concerns on Embodiment 1 roughly. FIG. 3 is a top view schematically showing an inner lid in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the inner lid in the first embodiment. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a vapor hole in the first embodiment. FIG. It is the schematic which shows the rice cooking process, to-be-heated material temperature, and pan temperature in Embodiment 1. FIG. (A)-(C) are sectional drawings which show the vapor | steam hole in Embodiment 1, and the bubble of a toy. (A) And (B) is sectional drawing of the upper end of the rough bubble when it passes a vapor hole in Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a steam hole in a modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a top view schematically showing an inner lid in a second embodiment. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an inner lid in a second embodiment. FIG. (A) And (B) is sectional drawing of the vapor | steam hole in Embodiment 2, and the bubble of a toy. (A)-(C) are the top views which show roughly the 1st modification of the vapor | steam hole in Embodiment 2. FIG. (A) And (B) is a top view which shows roughly the 2nd modification of the vapor hole in Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 9 is a top view schematically showing an inner lid in a third embodiment. 6 is an enlarged view of a vapor hole in Embodiment 3. FIG. FIG. 10 is a top view schematically showing a modification of the vapor hole in the third embodiment. It is a top view which shows typically the modification which combined Embodiment 1-3. It is sectional drawing of the modification which combined Embodiment 1-3. It is a top view which shows typically the modification of Embodiment 1-3. It is sectional drawing of the modification of Embodiment 1-3.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of the configuration of the rice cooker 100 according to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the rice cooker 100 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, the rice cooker 100 includes a rice cooker main body 110 and a lid 140 that is attached to the rice cooker main body 110 and opens and closes an upper opening of the rice cooker main body 110.

  The rice cooker main body 110 includes a container cover 111, a heating coil 112 as a heating part, a pan bottom temperature sensor 113, a hinge part 114 that supports the lid 140 so that it can be opened and closed, and each part and each device to drive and control rice cooking. And a control unit 115 that executes the process.

The container cover 111 is provided with an insertion hole 111a for inserting the pan bottom temperature sensor 113 at the bottom center.
Moreover, the pan 130 is detachably accommodated in the container cover 111. Thereby, the rice cooker main body 110 accommodates the pan 130 so that attachment or detachment is possible.

  The heating coil 112 heats the pan 130 by induction heating. Here, the pan 130 is made of a material that generates heat by induction heating. Thereby, the heating coil 112 can heat the to-be-heated material put into the pan 130.

  The pan bottom temperature sensor 113 is in contact with the bottom surface of the pan 130 accommodated in the container cover 111 and detects the temperature of the pan 130. Information regarding the temperature of the pan 130 detected by the pan bottom temperature sensor 113 is output to the control unit 115.

  An operation display unit 116 is provided on the upper surface of the lid 140. The operation display unit 116 receives an operation input from the user, and information indicating the input is output to the control unit 115.

  The control unit 115 executes control based on outputs from the pan bottom temperature sensor 113, the operation display unit 116, and an internal temperature sensor 143 described later. In addition, the control unit 115 controls the overall operation of the rice cooker 100.

  The hinge part 114 is provided in the one end side (left side of the paper surface of FIG. 1) of the upper part of the rice cooker main body 110, and supports the cover body 140 with respect to the rice cooker main body 110 so that opening and closing is possible. Thereby, the cover 140 is comprised so that the closed state which covers the opening part of the rice cooker main body 110 and the open state which exposes the opening part of the rice cooker main body 110 can be taken.

  The pan 130 has an opening for placing an object to be heated at the top.

The lid 140 includes an outer lid 141 and an inner lid 150.
The outer lid 141 constitutes an upper portion and a side portion of the lid body 140, and the inner lid 150 is detachably attached to the lower surface of the outer lid 141 (the surface facing the pan 130) via a locking member 142. ing.
An inner temperature sensor 143 that detects the temperature in the pan 130 is provided on the lower surface of the outer lid 141. As shown in FIG. 2, the inner lid 150 has an insertion hole 151 into which the internal temperature sensor 143 is inserted.

The inner lid 150 closes the pan 130. Specifically, the inner lid 150 has a lower surface (first surface) 150a for closing the opening of the pan 130 and an upper surface (second surface) 150b located on the opposite side of the lower surface 150a.
A lid packing 152 that secures hermeticity with the pan 130 is attached to the peripheral portion of the inner lid 150.

FIG. 2 is a top view schematically showing inner lid 150 in the first embodiment.
The inner lid 150 includes at least one steam hole 153 for allowing the steam in the pan 130 to pass from the lower surface 150a of the inner lid 150 to the upper surface 150b. As shown in FIG. 1, the outer lid 141 is provided with a steam cylinder 144 for letting the steam escaped above the inner lid 150 to the outside of the rice cooker 100.
The inner space of the pan 130 and the upper space of the inner lid 150 are communicated with each other through a steam hole 153 of the inner lid 150, and the upper space of the inner lid 150 and the outer space of the outer lid 141 are communicated with each other through a steam cylinder 144. ing. For this reason, the steam generated in the internal space of the pan 130 passes through the steam hole 153, then passes through the steam cylinder 144, and is discharged out of the rice cooker 100.
The steam cylinder 144 may be a cartridge type that can be detached from the outer lid 141, and may be provided in the outer lid 141.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the inner lid 150. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, when the inner lid 150 closes the pan 130, the steam hole 153 has a surface facing the outer lid 141 of the inner lid 150 from a lower surface 150 a that is a surface facing the pan 130. This is a through-hole penetrating through the upper surface 150b. As will be described later, the vapor hole 153 is formed in a shape that bursts when bubbles of the object to be heated pass.

As shown in FIG. 2, the edges of the lower surface 150a and the upper surface 150b of the vapor hole 153 are circular.
As shown in FIG. 4, the diameter Da of the edge 153 a on the lower surface 150 a of the inner lid 150 of the steam hole 153 is smaller than the diameter Db of the edge 153 b on the upper surface 150 b of the inner lid 150. For this reason, the area surrounded by the edge 153a of the lower surface 150a of the inner lid 150 of the vapor hole 153 is smaller than the area surrounded by the edge 153b of the upper surface 150b of the inner lid 150. In other words, the steam hole 153 is directed from the upper surface 150b of the inner lid 150 toward the lower surface 150a so that the edge 153a of the lower surface 150a of the inner lid 150 is narrower than the edge 153b of the upper surface 150b of the inner lid 150. It is formed in a tapered shape so as to be tapered. That is, the side surface 153c of the vapor hole 153 is inclined so as to face upward.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the rice cooker 100 configured as described above is heated by heating a pot 130 containing heated objects such as rice 180 and water 181 with a heating coil 112. Cook things.

Next, the bubble will be described.
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the rice cooking process, the heated object temperature, and the pan temperature in the first embodiment.
The temperature of the object to be heated (the internal temperature of the pan 130) is detected based on the detection value of the internal temperature sensor 143, and the pan temperature is detected based on the detection value of the pan bottom temperature sensor 113.
As shown in FIG. 5, the rice cooking process includes a preheating process, a temperature raising process, a boiling process, and an unevenness process.
The preheating step is a step for urging the rice to absorb water, and the temperature raising step is a step until the heated object (rice 180 and water 181) reaches the boiling temperature. The boiling process is a process in which the boiling temperature is maintained and starch gelatinization is actively performed. The unevenness process is a process of promoting gelatinization to the center of the rice 180 by steaming the rice 180 and making the moisture distribution in the rice grain uniform.

  The rice bubble is generated after the boiling process starts and the object to be heated enters a boiling state. The rice ball is a mixture of components dissolved from rice 180 and water 181. As the heating time is longer, the amount of elution from the rice 180 increases, so the surface tension of the rice cake gradually increases. While the surface tension of the rice bowl is small, the boil bubbles generated from the bottom surface of the pan 130 break up at the moment when they reach the top surface of the object to be heated. However, if the surface tension of the rice bowl increases, the bubbles move to the upper side of the pan 130 without bursting even after reaching the upper surface of the object to be heated. If this passes through the steam hole 153 and the steam cylinder 144 and is discharged to the outside of the rice cooker main body 110, it will be blown out of the rice bowl, which has been a problem in the past.

  Onebaba spillage occurs when high heating power is continued in the boiling process. In traditional cooking ovens that remind you of deliciousness, there are many cases in which spilled spills occur. However, rice cooking with a rice cooker needs to prevent the spilling of rice balls in consideration of safety to the user.

Next, with reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, a defoaming mechanism of the rice cake by the steam hole 153 of the inner lid 150 in the first embodiment will be described.
First, as shown in FIG. 6 (A), when a roughly bubble 182 is generated in the pan 130, it comes into contact with the steam hole 153. As shown in FIG. 6B, the bubble 182 that has contacted the vapor hole 153 enters the vapor hole 153 as it is. Since the vapor hole 153 has a tapered shape that spreads upward, as shown in FIG. 6C, the upper part of the bubble 182 is also expanded along the tapered shape when passing through the vapor hole 153.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the upper end of the bubble 182 when it passes through the vapor hole 153.
As shown in FIG. 7 (A), when the liquid film at the uppermost end of the bubble 182 is thinned and the balance of the surface tension is lost, as shown in FIG. 7 (B), The first bubble 182 breaks.
This surface tension is due to the surfactant 183 (a part of the eluting component of the rice cake), and the phenomenon that the balance of the surface tension is lost is the fact that the surfactant 183 is not distributed as the liquid film becomes thinner. Uniformity is caused.

  By applying a tapered shape that spreads upward like the vapor hole 153 of Embodiment 1, the bubble of the rice cake that has passed through the vapor hole 153 is thinned and easily broken, and spillage is suppressed. Thereby, it is not necessary to weaken the heating power of the boiling process in consideration of blowing up, high heating power heating becomes possible, and rice with good taste can be cooked.

  In Embodiment 1, the effect of suppressing spillage is enhanced only by the shape of the steam hole 153, and the taste of the rice can be improved without impairing simple means and care.

  Note that at least the diameter Da (see FIG. 4) of the lower surface of the vapor hole 153 needs to be smaller than the diameter of the bubble (approximately 1 cm). The steam hole 153 is used to obtain an effect of suppressing spillage by allowing one bubble to pass through and stretching and thinning the liquid film.

Further, the smaller the diameter of the vapor hole 153, the higher the effect of suppressing the spillage. This is because by reducing the diameter, the amount of liquid passing therethrough is small, the flow velocity is increased, and the liquid film becomes thin.
On the other hand, if the diameter of the steam hole 153 is too small, the flow velocity passing through the steam hole 153 becomes too large and abnormal noise is generated, or in the unlikely event that it is blown out to the outside of the rice cooker body, the surroundings may be soiled. There is.
Since the flow velocity in the steam hole 153 is determined by the diameter and the number of the steam holes 153, the diameter and the number of the steam holes 153 are set so that these problems (abnormal noise or the like) do not occur.

  In the first embodiment, as described above, the vapor hole 153 is tapered so that it is narrowed from the upper side to the lower side. For example, the vapor hole 153 # shown in FIG. The side surface 153c of the steam hole 153 is stepped so that the diameter Dc of the edge 153 # a on the lower surface 150a of the inner lid 150 is smaller than the diameter Db of the edge 153 # b on the upper surface 150b of the inner lid 150. It may be formed. In other words, the side surface 153c of the steam hole 153 includes the first step surface 153 # d extending from the upper surface 150b to the lower surface 150a of the inner lid 150, and the inside of the steam hole 153 from the tip of the first step surface 153 # d. A second step surface 153 # e extending in the direction, and a third step surface 153 # f extending from the tip of the second step surface 153 # e toward the lower surface 150a of the inner lid 150. Note that at least one of the first step surface 153 # d, the second step surface 153 # e, and the third step surface 153 # f is tapered from the upper surface 150b of the inner lid 150 toward the lower surface 150a. Thus, it may be formed in a taper shape.

Embodiment 2
Next, a rice cooker according to Embodiment 2 will be described. The rice cooker according to the second embodiment is configured similarly to the rice cooker 100 according to the first embodiment except for the inner lid.
FIG. 9 is a top view schematically showing the inner lid 250 in the second embodiment.
The inner lid 250 in the second embodiment is provided with at least one steam hole 253 for allowing the steam in the pan 130 to escape above the inner lid 250, and the inner lid 250 in the first embodiment except for the shape of the steam hole 253. The configuration is the same as that of the lid 150.
As shown in FIG. 9, the shape of the vapor hole 253 is a polygon (here, a quadrangle) whose inner angles are all less than 180 ° in a top view.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the inner lid 250. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 10-10 in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 10, when the inner lid 250 closes the pan 130, the steam hole 253 is a surface facing the outer lid 141 of the inner lid 250 from the lower surface 250 a that is a surface facing the pan 130. It is a through-hole penetrating the upper surface 250b.

  Next, the defoaming mechanism of the large bubble in Embodiment 2 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, when an approximately bubble is generated, it comes into contact with the vapor hole 253 and passes through the vapor hole 253. FIG. 11A is a view of the cross section of the bubble 282 as viewed from above at this timing. The outer contour 282 a of the liquid film is a square shape because it is in contact with the vapor hole 253. On the other hand, the inner contour 282b of the almost liquid film tends to be a highly stable circle, and thus has a quadrangular shape with rounded corners. In such a case, the liquid film in the corner region of the square-shaped vapor hole 253 is thick, and the liquid film in the side portion becomes thin, resulting in a non-uniform distribution. As shown in FIG. The liquid film in the thin part is easily broken. If one of the bubbles 282 is broken, the entire bubble 282 disappears. Therefore, the probability of bubble breakage is increased by the square-shaped vapor hole 253.

In the second embodiment, the case where the shape of the vapor hole 253 is a square shape has been described as an example. However, the shape of the vapor hole 253 is not limited to such an example.
For example, like the steam hole 253 # 1 shown in FIG. 12A, the shape may be a triangle whose inner angles are all less than 180 °. Further, like the steam hole 253 # 2 shown in FIG. 12B, the shape may be a pentagon whose inner angles are all less than 180 °. Further, like the steam hole 253 # 3 shown in FIG. 12C, the shape may be a hexagon whose inner angles are all less than 180 °.
If it is a polygon whose inner angle is less than 180 °, it is possible to obtain the effect of suppressing spillage by the defoaming mechanism similar to that of the rectangular steam hole 253 described above. That is, the liquid accumulates at the corners of the polygon, and the side portions of the bubbles are thinned and easily broken.

The smaller the number of sides of the polygon, the smaller the inner angle, so that liquid tends to accumulate in that portion, and the side portion of the bubble becomes thinner. That is, there is a merit that the effect of suppressing spillage is high.
However, a polygon with a larger number of sides is closer to a circle and thus has a natural appearance.

In addition, although the polygon of the steam hole 253 in Embodiment 2 is comprised only with a straight line, for example, like the steam hole 253 # 4 shown in FIG. It may be formed in a rounded rectangular shape with (roundness). By providing such an R portion, it is possible to eliminate problems such as a decrease in durability of corner portions and clogging of dirt, which are problems in the case of a shape constituted only by straight lines.
Further, as in the steam hole 253 # 5 shown in FIG. 13B, R may be further increased to have an oval shape. In this case, the spillage suppressing effect is reduced, but there is a merit that durability and careability are further improved.

Embodiment 3
Next, a rice cooker according to Embodiment 3 will be described. The rice cooker according to Embodiment 3 is configured in the same manner as rice cooker 100 according to Embodiment 1 except for the inner lid.
FIG. 14 is a top view schematically showing inner lid 350 in the third embodiment.
The inner lid 350 in the third embodiment is provided with at least one steam hole 353 for allowing the steam in the pan 130 to escape above the inner lid 350, and the inner lid 350 in the first embodiment except for the shape of the steam hole 353. The configuration is the same as that of the lid 150.
As shown in FIG. 15, the shape of the vapor hole 353 is a polygon (here, a star shape) in which at least one of the inner angles is larger than 180 ° in a top view.
In FIG. 14, the shape of the vapor hole 353 is a star polygon having four acute angles, but as shown in FIG. 16, it may be a star polygon having five acute angles, The number of acute angles is arbitrary.

  As shown in FIG. 15, such a star polygon has at least one edge 353a having an inner angle larger than 180 °. This edge 353a ruptures the bubbles that are present, and an antifoaming effect is obtained.

  It should be noted that a larger number of sharp corners, in other words, a larger number of edges 353a, has the advantage that the bubbles are more difficult to pass and break easily. On the other hand, a larger number of sharp corners has the demerits that the processing becomes complicated and the careability becomes worse.

  In the first embodiment, the vapor hole 153 has a tapered shape in a cross-sectional view, and in the second and third embodiments, a shape having a polygon or a star shape in a top view has been described. The first embodiment may be combined with the second or third embodiment so that the polygonal cross section is tapered (see FIGS. 17 and 18), and the star-shaped cross section is tapered. Also good. By combining these, the bubble-breaking effect is further enhanced and spillage is suppressed.

  In addition, like the inner lid 150 # 2 shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, a rising portion 150 # 2c is provided along the edge of the steam hole 153 on the lower surface 150 # 2a facing the pan 130. Also good. In this case, when the bubble is close to the vapor hole 153, the rising portion 150 # 2 becomes an edge to break the bubble. Such a rising portion may be provided in the second or third embodiment.

  The steam hole 153 is assumed to be formed by press working. However, if the rising portion 150 # 2a is formed by burring, the steam hole 153 and the rising portion 150 # 2a can be formed at the same time. is there.

  As described above, according to the first to third embodiments, the shape of the vapor holes 153, 253, and 353 provided in the inner lids 150, 250, and 350 is the same as that of the bubbles to be heated in the vapor holes 153, 253, and 353. By adopting a shape that breaks bubbles when passing through, it is possible to suppress spillage of the object to be heated without impairing careability and to continue heating with a strong heating power. Moreover, since it is not necessary to add a new member, the manufacturing cost does not increase.

  According to the first embodiment, the area surrounded by the edge 153b of the vapor hole 153 on the upper surface 150b of the inner lid 150 may be formed to be larger than the area surrounded by the edge 153a of the vapor hole 153 on the lower surface 150a. Therefore, it is easy to clean and can be easily processed.

The vapor hole 153 in Embodiment 1 may be formed in a taper shape that tapers from the upper surface 150b to the lower surface 150a, so that it can be easily cleaned and is easily processed and easily processed. Can do.
Also, forming the side surface of the vapor hole 153 in a stepped manner can be easily processed because of the bubble breaking effect.

Moreover, according to Embodiment 2 and 3, since the shape of the vapor | steam hole 253,353 should just be made into a polygon, while being excellent in care property, it can process easily.
In addition, by rounding the corners of the polygon, it is excellent in care and durability.

Further, by forming the rising portion along the edges of the steam holes 153, 253, and 353, the bubbles can be more reliably ruptured.
Furthermore, by forming the rising portion 150 # 2c by burring, it can be easily processed.

  As an application example of the present invention, it is suitable for a cooking cooker for business use and home use, in particular, a pan-type cooking cooker having a fear of spilling.

  100 rice cooker, 110 rice cooker body, 140 lid, 130 pan, 140 lid, 141 outer lid, 144 steam cylinder, 150, 250, 350 inner lid, 150a, 250a lower surface, 150b, 250b upper surface, 153, 253 353 steam hole, 153a, 153b edge, 153c side, 353a edge.

Claims (9)

A pan having an opening for containing an object to be heated;
A rice cooker body that detachably accommodates the pan;
A heating unit for heating the object to be heated placed in the pan;
A lid attached to the rice cooker body in an openable and closable manner,
The lid includes an inner lid having a first surface for closing the opening and a second surface located on the opposite side of the first surface;
The inner lid is a through-hole penetrating from the first surface to the second surface, and vapor generated when the object to be heated is heated by the heating unit from the first surface to the second surface. With a steam hole that passes through
The steam hole is formed such that an area surrounded by an edge of the steam hole on the second surface is larger than an area surrounded by an edge of the steam hole on the first surface, and the heated object The rice cooker is characterized by being formed into a shape that bursts the bubbles generated when the bubbles are generated. The side surface of the vapor hole is inclined,
The steam holes, rice cooker according to claim 1, characterized in that the said second surface is formed to be tapered toward the first surface. Side of the steam holes from the edge of the steam holes in the first surface, toward the edge of the steam holes in the second plane, according to claim, characterized in that it is formed stepwise 1 Rice cooker as described in. The shape of the steam holes, when viewed from the second surface, rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the polygon. 5. The rice cooker according to claim 4 , wherein the shape of the steam hole is a polygon having all inner angles of less than 180 ° when viewed from the second surface. 5. The rice cooker according to claim 4 , wherein the shape of the vapor hole is such that at least one inner angle is larger than 180 ° when viewed from the second surface. The rice cooker according to any one of claims 4 to 6 , wherein corners of the polygon are rounded. Wherein the first surface, along said edge of the steam holes of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the rising portion extending in the direction of the pan when it closes the opening of the pan is formed Rice cooker as described in any one. The diameter of the vapor hole on the first surface is smaller than the diameter of the bubble.
The rice cooker as described in any one of Claim 1 to 8 characterized by these.

Images